Brünnhilde Stops the Show: Michael Fuller hails the commencement of a new ‘Ring’ in Basel, and eagerly awaits its conclusion

The 2023–4 season at the Theater Basel opened with ‘Der Ring: ein Festival’, featuring performances of the first two parts of Wagner’s tetralogy alongside other works inspired by it. Preceding the Rheingold I attended was Matthew Herbert’s Rheinklang – ein Chorritual, a piece derived from the opening of Wagner’s work, performed by a large unaccompanied choir processing around the square outside the theatre. Siegfried and Götterdämmerung are scheduled to follow in a year’s time, with full cycles being performed in 2025.